Scientists at Columbia University have invented a new dongle that
attaches to a mobile phone and can diagnose HIV and syphilis in 15
minutes. This means millions of lives could be saved through early
diagnosis.
The kit, which attaches to any smartphone or computer, replicates a lab test and can give a diagnosis in the field in just 15 minutes.
The device is nearly 540 times cheaper than current lab testing machines, and has already been tested on patients in Rwanda during a pilot study.
Health workers tested the blood of 96 patients who were enrolling into clinics aimed at preventing transmission of HIV from mother to child, or those visiting voluntary counselling and testing centres.
The dongle was developed to be small and light enough to fit in one hand.
It draws its power from the smartphone allowing it to be used in remote areas, providing the phone is charged.
Samuel Sia, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, said the team's work showed that full laboratory-quality tests can be run on a smartphone app.
This makes a diagnosis accessible to almost any population with access to smartphones.
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
The kit, which attaches to any smartphone or computer, replicates a lab test and can give a diagnosis in the field in just 15 minutes.
The device is nearly 540 times cheaper than current lab testing machines, and has already been tested on patients in Rwanda during a pilot study.
Health workers tested the blood of 96 patients who were enrolling into clinics aimed at preventing transmission of HIV from mother to child, or those visiting voluntary counselling and testing centres.
The dongle was developed to be small and light enough to fit in one hand.
It draws its power from the smartphone allowing it to be used in remote areas, providing the phone is charged.
Samuel Sia, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, said the team's work showed that full laboratory-quality tests can be run on a smartphone app.
This makes a diagnosis accessible to almost any population with access to smartphones.
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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